New Guinea Impatients plant named ‘Balcebpurp’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Balcebpurp’, characterized by its upright, rounded and uniform plant habit; red purple-colored flowers that are positioned above and beyond the leaves; and dark green and yellow green variegated leaves.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DENOMINATION

Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Balcebpurp.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of NewGuinea Impatiens plant, botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri, andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Balcebpurp’.

The new Impatiens is a product of a planned breeding program conductedby the Inventor in Arroyo Grande, Calif. The objective of the breedingprogram is to develop New Guinea Impatiens cultivars that have a freelybranching growth habit and large flowers with attractive flower colors.

The new Impatiens originated from a cross-pollination made by theInventor in 1998 of the Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Balcebwium, disclosedin U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,618, as the female, or seed parent, with theImpatiens hawkeri cultivar BFP-397 Light Salmon, disclosed in U.S. PlantPat. No. 9,213, as the male, or pollen parent. The cultivar Balcebpurpwas discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant withinthe progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environmentin Arroyo Grande, Calif.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken inArroyo Grande, Calif. since August, 1998, has shown that the uniquefeatures of this new Impatiens are stable and reproduced true to type insuccessive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Balcebpurp’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Balcebpurp’ as a new and distinct Impatienscultivar:

1. Upright, rounded and uniform plant habit.

2. Red purple-colored flowers that are positioned above and beyond theleaves.

3. Dark green and yellow green variegated leaves.

Plants of the new Impatiens differ primarily from plants of the maleparent in flower color.

Plants of the new Impatiens are most similar to plants of the femaleparent, the cultivar Balcebwium. In side-by-side comparisons conductedin West Chicago, Ill., plants of the new Impatiens differed from plantsof the cultivar Balcebwium in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Impatiens were more compact than plants of thecultivar Balcebwium.

2. Plants of the new Impatiens had shorter lateral branches with shorterinternodes than plants of the cultivar Balcebwium.

3. Leaves of plants of the new Impatiens were variegated whereas leavesof plants of the cultivar Balcebwium were not variegated.

4. Plants of the new Impatiens were not as freely flowering as plants ofthe cultivar Balcebwium.

5. Flower color of plants of the new Impatiens was not as red as flowercolor of plants of the cultivar Balcebwium.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotograph differ from the color values cited in the detailed botanicaldescription which accurately describe the colors of the new Impatiens.The photograph comprises a side perspective view of multiple floweringplants of ‘Balcebpurp’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The cultivar Balcebpurp has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature and light intensitywithout, however, any variance in genotype.

The aforementioned photograph and following observations andmeasurements describe plants grown in West Chicago, Ill., undercommercial practice in a polycarbonate-covered greenhouse with daytemperatures ranging from 20 to 24° C., night temperatures ranging from16 to 20° C. and light levels ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 footcandles.Rooted young plants were planted in containers and had been growing forabout eight weeks when the photographs and the description were taken.

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Balcebpurp.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Balcebwium, disclosed in U.S.Plant Pat. No. 11,618.

Male parent.—Impatiens hawkeri cultivar BFP-397 Light Salmon, disclosedin U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,213.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About 7 days at 18° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About 21 days at 18° C.

Root description.—Fine, fibrous and white in color.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

General appearance.—Upright, rounded and uniform plant habit; freelybasal branching growth habit, about five basal branches form per plant.Moderately vigorous.

Plant height.—About 10.8 cm.

Plant diameter or spread.—About 20.1 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 4.8 cm. Diameter: About 6 mm. Internodelength: About 2 cm. Color: 145A slightly overlain with 173A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Opposite or in whorls of three.Length: About 10.6 cm. Width: About 3.5 cm. Shape: Elliptic. Apex:Acuminate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Serrulate with ciliation. Texture,upper and lower surface: Smooth, glabrous. Venation pattern: Pinnate.Color: Young and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 147A; center,151C. Young and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 147B. Venation,upper surface: Midvein, 53D; lateral veins, 151D. Venation, lowersurface: Midvein, 145C slightly overlain with 53D; lateral veins, 146A.Petiole: Length: About 1.1 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Texture, upper andlower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper and lower surfaces: 151Doverlain with 53D.

Flower description:

Flower type and flowering habit.—Single rounded flowers. Usually aboutsix flowers and flower buds per lateral branch. Flowers positioned aboveand beyond the foliage and typically face upward or outward. Flowers notfragrant. Petals self-cleaning; gynoecium persistent.

Flower longevity.—Flowers last about one week on the plant.

Flowering season.—Year-round under greenhouse conditions; in the garden,flowering from spring until fall. Plants begin flowering about eightweeks after planting.

Flower buds.—Length: About 1.2 cm. Diameter: About 8 mm. Shape: Ovoid.Color: 59B.

Flower diameter.—About 6 cm.

Flower depth.—About 1.1 cm.

Flower shape.—Rounded; mostly flat.

Petals.—Quantity: Five per flower, imbricate. Length, banner petal:About 2.3 cm. Length, lateral and basal petals: About 3 cm. Width,banner petals: About 3.2 cm. Width, lateral and basal petals: About 2.7cm. Shape: Obovate. Apex: Emarginate. Base, banner petal: Truncate.Base, lateral and basal petals: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture,upper and lower surfaces: Smooth; satiny. Color: When opening and fullyopened, upper surface: Slightly more blue than 67A; becoming closer todarker than 78A with subsequent development. When opening and fullyopened, lower surface: 67B.

Spur.—Quantity: One per flower. Length: About 4.2 cm. Diameter, at apex:Less than 1 mm. Diameter, at flower: About 2.5 mm. Aspect: Curveddownward. Color: 53D; towards apex, 145A.

Peduncles.—Length: About 4.8 cm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Strength: Strong;flexible. Angle: Acute. Color: 151D overlain with 53D.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Stamen quantity/arrangement: Five fusedat anthers, hooded; filaments free. Anther length: About 2 mm. Anthershape: Oval. Anther color: 49D. Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color:18C. Gynoecium: Pistil quantity: One per flower. Pistil length: About 5mm. Stigma color: Colorless. Style length: Less than 1 mm. Style color:53D. Ovary arrangement: Five-celled. Ovary color: 144A.

Seeds/fruits.—Seed and fruit development has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Impatiens have not beenobserved to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Impatiens.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiensplant named ‘Balcebpurp’, as illustrated and described.